Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Training centre for special teachers soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government will set up a State-level training centre for teachers working among mentally challenged children.

A proposal seeking funds for the centre has been submitted to the Union government.

According to A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Director of Public Instruction, the decision for setting up the training centre was taken following a report in The Hindu on August 23 that revealed the plight of special children admitted to certain government schools in the city as a part of integrated education.

The disproportionate enrolment of special children has given rise to the allegation that it is an attempt by school authorities to maintain the required student strength and ensure that teachers do not lose their jobs.

“Exploiting the conditions of the differently abled to maintain the required student strength is wrong,” said Mr. Hanish. As per the Kerala Education Rules, termination of a teaching post or ‘division fall’ occurs when the student strength in a particular class falls below the prescribed limit. The minimum required strength is 25 students per class.

The District Educational Officers would be asked to conduct spot verification in schools to ensure that the schools do not resort to unfair practices to increase student strength, he said.

“The concept of inclusive education should be put in a proper perspective, otherwise it would be a catastrophe,” Mr. Hanish said.

“Right now, the main challenge before us is the lack of qualified teachers to look after special children.”

The figures available at the Directorate show that the State is short of 4,500 special teachers. The State has only 1,452 special teachers at present.

Through the proposed training centre, the Education Department hopes to “create a resource pool of teachers who can facilitate the process of integration” by providing for the needs of the mentally challenged.

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